In the prior art, optical disk devices which perform video recording of contents such as television programs or the like upon optical disks such as DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks) and the like, and which replay these contents which have been video recorded, are per se well known and widespread.
When using this type of prior art optical disk device, the user sets, using a remote control or the like which is accessory to the device main body, as video recording appointment information, a video recording start time, a video recording period, the channel upon which the program which he desires will be distributed, and the like. When this is done, the optical disk device performs video recording upon an optical disk of the appointed television program at the date and time that have been appointed. By doing this, the user is able to record the desired television program upon the optical disk.
And, after this video recording has been completed, when the user commands replay of the television program which has thus been video recorded upon the optical disk, the optical disk device replays the television program upon a television or the like which is connected to the device main body. Due to this, the user is able to view the desired television program upon the television or the like.
At this time, if the user only wishes to view a single scene or section of the television program, then sometimes he fast forwards the television program which is recorded upon the optical disk forward to the position at which he wishes to start viewing (for example forward to the start of the single section in the television program which he wishes to view). In this case, the user waits while checking the television program which is being replayed at high speed upon the above described television, until the optical disk drive reaches the position at which he desires to start viewing. And, when the fast forward replay reaches the position at which the user desires to start viewing, by using the remote control described above, he commands the optical disk device to replay the optical disk from this point. As a result, the optical disk device starts to replay the television program from the position at which this command was issued. Here by fast forward is meant, high speed replaying at a faster speed than the normal replay speed. Moreover by rewinding is meant replay in the opposite direction, in which replay is performed in the opposite direction to the direction in which normal replaying is normally performed.
It should be understood that a recording and replay device is proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2002-133837.
However it often happens that, even though the user has commanded the device main body to perform replay of the optical disk, when starting this replaying, the position at which the user desires to start viewing (for example the start of a single section of a television program) is skipped over and missed. The reason for this is that, after the user has checked with the television the position at which he wishes to start viewing, he commands the optical disk device to replay the optical disk using the above described remote control, and inevitably there is a time lag until this command is executed.
If the position at which the user wishes to start viewing has been skipped over, then the user is required to rewind for a second time and to return back to before the position at which he wishes to start viewing, and then to issue a replay command for a second time, and this actuation requires an extremely great amount of trouble. Accordingly, with a prior art optical disk device, the convenience of use from the point of view of the user is bad.
The present invention has been conceived in order to solve this type of problem with the prior art, and it takes it as its object to provide an optical disk device with which, even when performing fast forwarding of a television program, the user can reliably start replay from any position at which he desires to start viewing, so that the convenience of use from the point of view of the user is enhanced.